


Explanations

by Tsukino_Akume



Series: Ruigi [9]
Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers, Power Rangers Dino Thunder, Power Rangers Samurai, Power Rangers Turbo, Power Rangers in Space
Genre: Child Neglect, Child Soldiers, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Past Character Death, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:00:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24086257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsukino_Akume/pseuds/Tsukino_Akume
Summary: Jayden’s secrets are out, and his family struggles with all the things they never knew.
Relationships: Aisha Campbell/Zack Taylor, Antonio Garcia/Jayden Shiba, Ethan James/Conner McKnight, Kimberly Hart/Tommy Oliver, Rocky DeSantos/Adam Park, Trent Fernandez-Mercer/Kira Ford
Series: Ruigi [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/179534
Comments: 5
Kudos: 53





	Explanations

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer/:** I not own things.  
>  **Warnings/:** Past psychological torture, brainwashing, and child abuse. Mentions of past character deaths. Character with PTSD. Discussions of suicide and suicidal thoughts. Discussion of Child Soldiers.  
>  **Author's Notes/:** While trying to write the next chapter of Changing Tactics, my muse decided we needed to examine various reactions to Jayden’s video in Chapter 60. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to post it or not, but Arytra convinced me to. 
> 
> Hover your mouse over non-English words for translation, or scroll to the bottom.

When the email went out, it was titled ‘Explanations’. The body read simply:

 _Please watch this._

_\- Jayden & Antonio_

The attachment was labeled the same as the email title. 

****

They all knew what it was. There was only one thing it really could be. 

****

_“I know you have questions. There’s a lot that I need to explain, and some things that you need to hear. And you deserve to hear it face to face.”_ Jayden gave a very faint, half-hearted smile. _“But I can’t have this conversation ninety-seven times. I just ask that you let me finish what I need to say.”_

****

She was already crying. 

It was the smile, she thought. That tiny, half smile that made him look so sad. She remembered that smile. 

She remembered the first time she saw it, on the little boy hiding behind Trini, peering up at her under his hair. Seven years old, and that sad smile was already there. His eyes were far too old for a little boy. 

_“I need to ask you something, Kim. This … may be the most important thing I’ve ever asked you.”_

_“ … Okay. What’s wrong?”_

_“Will you take care of my son if something happens to me?”_

_“Why would you even need to ask me that Trini, of course I - “_

_“I want you to meet him first.”_

The day itself wasn’t anything special. She thought it might have been a Tuesday. 

She’d already met with the two of them several times by that point. Enough times that Trini had told her his name was Jay, but she’d already heard Trini call him Ai. Knew which name she needed to use. Not enough visits for him to have spoken to her, but enough that he no longer looked posed for a fight when she approached. 

Enough visits that she finally understood why Jay was so afraid. 

They’d been talking - she couldn’t even remember what about anymore - and the corner of Jay’s mouth had lifted ever-so-slightly. She’d frozen, stunned by the depth of the sadness in his eyes. Trini had kept talking, but her expression tightened. 

Twenty-one years old, and he still had the same sad smile as that little boy. 

****

Jayden stopped, taking a deep breath as his eyes stared at something in the distance. He seemed to struggle with words for a moment. _“The question everyone keeps asking me is why. Why didn’t I ever say anything, why didn’t I ask for help, why didn’t I know that you were here for me. Why didn’t I think about how many people would miss me._

_“The last thing Toshizo-sensei said to me was to never tell anyone my name and to keep the sealing symbol safe. He told me the Nighlok were everywhere, and to speak even a portion of the symbol could mean the end of the world. The only person I’ve told before now was Mom._

_“The accident was a week later.”_ He blinked once, a suspicious shine in his eyes. _“It was … very easy, after that … to believe that Sensei was right, and it was my fault she was gone. Because I told her everything.”_

****

He’d never formally gone into counseling as a profession, but working with Justin had made him interested enough to consider it. (Before he’d realized that no psychology degree would ever be able to fix what had happened to Justin.) He’d taken a few classes here and there, making some headway before Antonio appeared in his life. It wasn’t enough to make him an expert, but he understood more than most. 

He remembered plenty of awkward conversations with both Jayden *and* Antonio about what they’d been up to. Antonio would always dodge the question, or declare that it was a secret. Jayden would stay silent. 

It wasn’t ‘easy’. It was brainwashing. Jayden had been convinced at a young age that horrible things happened to anyone that knew the truth, and Trini’s death had cemented that belief long before any of them knew what was happening. Antonio would have gone along with anything to keep Jayden happy. 

_“Jayden needs me, Papa. I’m not leaving him again.”_

“Aw, Kiddo,” Rocky sighed, leaning forward to watch the screen again. 

He wasn’t sure which one of them he was talking to. 

****

_“As I got older it just became … easier, keeping the secret to myself. If no one knew, no one would ask questions. Which was probably part of Sensei’s plan all along,”_ he admitted, giving a slight shrug. 

****

Tommy only realized he was clenching his jaw once his teeth started to ache. 

_“I need you to promise me that we’ll both be honest with each other from now on. No more hiding things, okay?”_

He remembered Jayden, all of thirteen years old, looking up at him with solemn eyes. The exhaustion of the past few weeks had been clear in his face, but he’d stood still, almost at attention. He always did when he was in trouble, and they’d gathered that his previous guardian must have had some sort of military training. 

He’d looked so tired, but the kid wouldn’t relax even now that he was somewhere safe. At the time he’d hoped it was because the Dino Lair wasn’t home. 

_“I promise, Dad.”_

But he hadn’t. He’d continued to lie to them all, keeping his secrets and doing everything on his own. 

****

_“What I need you all to understand is that it wasn’t about trust. It was safer, and easier, not to say anything to anyone. It may not have been the best choice, but I couldn’t risk letting someone else get hurt. And before you say it,”_ Jayden gave them a wry, pointed look. _“Antonio figured most of this out on his own or from Octo.”_

_“He loves me,”_ Antonio agreed from behind the camera. 

****

Antonio used to crawl into his lap sometimes, Adam remembered dully. He wouldn’t say anything; just curl up in his arms and lay there for awhile. He’d always figured he just needed a hug. It seemed like a leftover from when they’d first met, but he’d done it more and more after Trini died and Jayden became a permanent part of their lives. 

_“You’re warm, Dad.”_

He’d never guessed it was because of something like this. 

Antonio was endearingly honest. He’d always suspected it was something he’d picked up from Rocky. They both had a tendency to overshare. 

_“I’m gonna be a Power Ranger!”_

Well. They shared the things that weren’t important, anyway. Or made it seem unimportant. 

Jayden was another story. He’d been mostly silent for years, only speaking up when Antonio encouraged him. And when he did finally start talking to them, it was always “I’m fine”. “I can handle this.” “I know what I’m doing.” 

Had he ever thought about what he was doing to _Antonio_? What holding on to Jayden’s secrets was doing to the person he claimed was his best friend? How many times Antonio had to lie to cover for him? 

He grit his teeth, forcing himself to focus on the video. 

****

There was a long silence. 

_“Start at the beginning,_ Querido,” Antonio murmured, barely audible. 

Jayden closed his eyes for a moment, giving a short nod before refocusing on the camera. 

_“Toshizo-sensei was a warmongering fanatic. I hate him almost as much as I’ve hated the Shiba family for leaving me with him. He called me the Shiba’s weapon in the war against the Nighlok, and said that it was my duty to end that war. That it was the reason I was born.”_

****

Jason’s hands were shaking. 

_“ … Why are you here?”_

_“I’m sorry. I’ll do better.”_

“ _I can fight too! I’m not useless!”_

_“I know what I’m doing.”_

_“I’ve been training for this my whole life.”_

_I should have seen it_ , he agonized. _I spent two years watching Tommy put himself on the line for the rest of us while his Powers were fading. I should have seen it._

Jay had been such a quiet kid when he and Kim took him in. Well-behaved, kept his room clean, did chores and homework without being asked. They knew why by that point - or thought they did, at least. They’d started encouraging Antonio to drag him out more often, hoping it would bring him out of his shell. 

But Jay still apologized too quickly. Bowed his head when someone raised their voice, expecting a blow. Worked himself to exhaustion in the dojo or when doing his homework. 

So he’d pulled him aside one day in the dojo, sitting down with him. _“I’m not going to let anyone hurt you again, Kiddo. That’s why I’m here, you know? To help keep you safe.”_

And then Tommy got himself stuck in a rock, and suddenly his kid was a Power Ranger and nothing was what he thought it was anymore. 

****

_“Six months after I was sent to live with him, he showed me the Shiba family’s sealing symbol. The sealing symbol creates a gateway to the Netherworld where Master Xandred comes from. It pushes him through the gateway and uses the soul of the person who writes the symbol to seal it shut. Their sacrifice is what keeps the gateway closed, until the Nighlok behind it grow strong enough to break free again. Because of the way it’s constructed, only a member of the Shiba family can perform it._

****

It was a sudden moment of horrifying clarity. 

_“I want to find them, Billy.”_ Trini’s voice was quietly furious. _“I want to track down every single member of that family, and take their children away. All of them. And then I want to make sure they never come anywhere near my son again.”_

He’d thought it an extreme reaction, but it was Trini. She’d always been protective in her own way. 

She’d known then, he understood now. Jayden had confessed to her, at all of eight years old, the sordid details of his past and what the family who had supposedly abandoned him had left him to. And Trini had reacted as any mother would: with pure, vengeful fury. 

He now deeply regretted not assisting her as thoroughly as he should have. 

****

_"Sensei explained to me in detail how to write it, the words to say, and what would happen when I used it. He told me that no one else knew this secret, and that without it, the Sanzu River would flood the world and the Nighlok would take over. That everyone, everywhere, would be destroyed or become a Nighlok themselves. No one would survive._

_“I turned five a few weeks after he told me.”_

****

“Je- “ He choked on the word, the Power holding him back from saying it. 

He’d never resented the inability to swear more than this moment. 

Five. He remembered Garrett at five, all wide blue eyes with Kat’s platinum blond hair, asking his big brothers to play with him. Antonio was better at it than Jayden, and they’d all had to sit down with Garrett more than once and gently explain to him that Jayden didn’t know how to play the same games he did. 

_“Why don’t he know, Uncle Zack? Didn’t his mama n’ daddies teach him?”_

How could *anyone* put the fate of the whole world on one little boy? 

****

Jayden stopped, swallowing visibly. _“This family is full of people who made a choice to fight,”_ he said quietly. _“Everyone talks about the moment they knew that they weren’t going to make it, and how it changed the way they look at being a Power Ranger. That moment they ‘grew up’._

_“My moment was standing in front of Sensei at four years old, and being told that it was my duty to sacrifice myself sealing Master Xandred away so that everyone else could live.”_

****

He’d always wondered. 

The kids had just been starting to understand the first time he’d met them: the fight with the White Ranger had shaken them pretty badly. There was a darkness in Kira’s eyes that told him she understood. Ethan wasn’t there yet, but he was close. Conner had just looked troubled, but nearly losing Kira had definitely gotten to him. Antonio was still full of wide-eyed innocence. 

Jayden had contemplated his ice cream. 

He’d told himself that he was probably overreacting. Jayden was too young to know that feeling. He was only thirteen. 

A dark little voice in the back of Justin’s mind pointed out that he’d been thirteen, too. 

****

_“I know that Sensei was wrong. I’ve spent years talking to Aunt Ashley and Antonio, to Mom and_ Imo _and all of the dads, even Octo. Everyone tells me that he was horrible and I *know*. I didn’t deserve it, it was horrible and wrong and cruel, and I’m worth more than that. I *know*!”_

Jayden stopped, closing his eyes and shuddering. _“I know,”_ he continued tightly. _“I know that I should have told someone else or asked for help or *something*. I get it. But I *can’t*. Because I - ”_

_”Breathe,_ Querido _.”_

Jayden stood still for a moment, breathing. 

****

Aisha didn’t bother trying to stop her tears. They’d have kept coming anyway. 

The worst part, she decided, was that he’d heard them. He’d heard them tell him he deserved more. He’d listened all those times they’d told him to ask them for help, that they were there for him. 

He’d listened, and he still couldn’t bring himself to ask. He was too afraid of what he’d lose. Only Antonio had been stubborn enough to break through that wall. 

_“I don’t care if he wants me to go away. He *needs* me, Mama.”_

Her precious boys. Her treasures. Broken and hurting before she’d even known them, and even now she couldn’t do enough to fix them. 

“ _Kipenzi_ ,” she sighed, pressing a fist to her mouth as she tried to gather herself to watch more. 

****

_“Aunt Ashley told me once that the time I spent with Sensei was equivalent to four tours of duty in a hostile environment. It took me a very, very long time to accept that. Some days I still can’t._

_“What he told me was wrong. I understand that my life is worth more than what he told me I was. But if it came down to me or any of you?”_

****

They’d agreed to watch together, in case the stress became too much for Kira. She’d glared at them all, but Dana had already warned them she was likely to go into labor any day now. Conner had offered to watch it for her; this was their compromise. 

But now it was Conner who was fighting tears. 

Ethan was more or less in Conner’s lap, letting himself be held like a teddy bear while he rubbed Conner’s arm comfortingly. Normally he argued against letting Conner hold him like this, claiming he felt smothered. He frowned once in awhile, glancing up at Conner to check on him. 

The scowl Kira had worn at being fussed over had shifted to the screen. She’d cursed once or twice under her breath, as close as she was able. A hand had drifted over her pregnant stomach at some point, hovering protectively. 

Trent said nothing. 

_“Sensei taught me to prepare for an attack at any time.”_

He’d already known. 

****

_“I would have. In a heartbeat.”_

****

“Oh, Jayden … ” Ashley whispered. 

****

Jayden took a breath. _“But I stopped believing in Sensei’s plan when I was thirteen.”_

_“There are three things that Sensei’s plan had never counted on. The first is Octo.”_ He held out a hand as Octo floated over to him, hovering over his palm and beeping self-importantly. _“Octo was sent to watch over me during my training and to be my companion because I was so young,”_ he explained. _“When Sensei passed, Octo was the one who helped me train my symbol power.”_

****

“Fascinating,” Billy murmured, trying to process it all. 

He’d been allowed to examine the Octo FoldingZord in spurts after learning of the existence of the tiny Zord, but his experiences were kept brief as they made Jayden visibly anxious. It was enough to establish the Zord’s sentience and understand its power source enough to assist Antonio with the creation of his own powers. Once he was made aware of the project, at least. 

But Jayden’s statement implied more than sentience: it implied _choice_. OctoZord hadn’t just obediently followed his designated Ranger, he’d mentored him. He had taken steps to ensure the survival of his partner. 

Billy had never, in all of his research and experience, encountered such a thing in an artificial automaton barring Alpha 5. 

The possibilities were staggering. 

****

_“The second thing is Antonio.”_ Jayden grinned, and the sudden lightness in his expression was startling. _“And that what none of you seem to have realized, is I married a con artist.”_

_“H-hey!”_ Antonio sputtered off screen, but he was laughing. _“That’s a little below the belt!”_

_“And yet it’s still true,”_ Jayden teased back. 

Octo bounced in place, beeping rapidly and flailing his tentacles. 

****

He snorted before he could stop himself, shaking his head wryly. It wasn’t funny, not really. But those two had always been able to get to him. 

Antonio was the one who pulled everyone together, in the end. He’d reunited Rocky and Adam back when no one else had realized they weren’t exactly on speaking terms anymore. He’d cornered Aisha into working through lingering problems the three of them had from being separated during the Zeo Crystal mess. He’d called Zack out for flirting with Aisha, and had given him a very intimidating shovel speech for a seven-year-old. 

_“Do you think my Mama’s cute,_ Tio __ _Zack?”_

_“If you’re not serious about her, I’ll make you regret it.”_

Jayden hadn’t pulled him back into the family quite the same way Antonio had, but there was something about Trini’s little boy that tugged at his heart from the beginning. He’d seen too much for such a young kid. 

_“ … It’s not my first funeral.”_

_“I know what I’m doing.”_

It wasn’t okay. None of this was in any way okay. But Jayden could still smile. It’d been a long time since he finally started to really smile. 

And it was, he mused, *still* all Antonio’s fault. 

****

_“Sensei wanted me to understand what was at stake if I failed, so in the beginning he would take me on walks around the village. That’s how I met Antonio. That’s also how *Octo* met Antonio.”_ He gave the FoldingZord an exasperated look, but his voice was fond. _“When Antonio promised that he would train hard to become a Samurai so that he could fight with me, Octo believed him.”_

_“At least *someone* did.”_

****

Rocky made a face at the screen. “Hey, I believed you, too!” 

He could still remember meeting the six-year-old at Little Angel’s Haven not long after Antonio had lost his father. He’d been so solemn and serious, playing mostly by himself. Until the moment you mentioned Power Rangers. 

_"My best friend is gonna be a Red Ranger!"_

It had been a moment that reminded him oddly of Justin, for a reason he hadn’t been able to put his finger on at the time. But he’d made a connection with that little boy. And not long after that, he’d realized Antonio was meant to be his. 

And then he was. 

_Somewhere, Zordon is laughing at me …_

****

_“Most of you know that Antonio’s been telling everyone that he was going to be a Power Ranger since he was six. What you never noticed is just how many people he’s asked about their Powers since he found out Papa and Dad were Rangers. Think about it.”_ He gave another broad grin. _“How many of you remember him asking to see your morpher, or asking to watch you morph? How many times did he read the archive files? How many times did he have access to Ranger Base or the Astro Megaship?”_

He paused, and Antonio protested that it wasn’t as terrible as Jayden was making it out to be. 

_“Antonio spent nine years learning to fight while studying Power Rangers and learning about Nighlok. After we found each other again, Octo taught him about Symbol Power and the Samurai Rangers. Between what he learned from Octo and all of you, eventually he was able to build his own morpher.”_

****

It was a struggle not to beat his head against a wall. 

The months following Astronema’s attack on Earth and Zordon’s energy wave had been pretty chaotic. They’d been trying to help the Astro Rangers while simultaneously trying to avoid them after finding out what exactly had caused the wave in the first place. It was a hard time for everyone. 

Including people who needed babysitters. 

_“What harm can it do? Antonio’s a smart kid, he knows not to touch anything without asking first.”_

_“Can I see your uniform again, Papa? You look so cool in blue!”_

_“Hey Dad, why do you have two Colors? Why can’t you just pick one?”_

_“Oh, I’m just trying out a new technique I learned the other day.”_

_“I’m working on a special project.”_

_“It’s a secret!”_

Because only Rocky, Adam decided, would find the two children in the world who weren’t content just *pretending* to be Power Rangers. 

****

Jayden paused. 

Antonio murmured something again, and Octo bumped his shoulder gently. He shook his head, refocusing his attention on the camera. _“We were fighting just after we started high school, remember?”_ His voice was soft, his eyes distant. _“Conner said something to me that - well, it got me thinking. About the sealing symbol, and whether it was worth getting anyone else involved in the Samurai Families' war.”_

****

Three sets of eyes slowly turned to stare at Conner suspiciously. 

“Conner, what did you do?” Kira demanded. 

He rolled his eyes, sniffling a little. “I just asked him if he’d ever thought about Antonio sexually. And then I told him he should think about that.” 

There was a brief moment of stunned silence, and then all of them moved at once. 

“OW!” 

“How could you?” Ethan demanded. “They were fifteen!” 

“You are the *last* person who needs to be giving romantic advice!” Kira snapped. 

“Well, someone had to! Besides, it worked, didn’t it?” Conner retorted, rubbing the back of his head. 

Trent glared at him. 

****

_“I showed Antonio the symbol.”_

_“And I refused to accept Jayden as a sacrifice.”_

****

Aisha never been more proud of them than she was in that moment. 

She liked to think that she was the one who had given Antonio his stubborn nature. Rocky had taught him the importance of family, Adam had given him his thoughtfulness, and Zack taught him to laugh. But she was the one who taught him not to accept the answer she didn’t want to hear. 

It had to have been one of the hardest things Jayden had ever done, showing Antonio that secret. Pushing Antonio away again the way he’d done in the beginning, trying to keep him safe. Forcing himself to reveal what had been beaten into him not to say. 

But he’d done it anyway. 

And Antonio had told him no. 

She remembered the fight, vaguely. It was the first time she could remember seeing them apart in years. She’d demanded to know what happened, expecting to have to grab for her morpher, and all Antonio had done was look at her and say _“Jayden’s being stubborn again”_ with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. 

_“Then be even more stubborn,” she’d told him. “Don’t give up on him.”_

“That’s my boy,” she murmured with a smile. 

****

Antonio’s hand reached into view, poking Jayden in the stomach as the camera tilted sideways. _“So we studied magic and ninja power and beast spirits until we figured out a better way.”_

The camera straightened to Jayden’s affectionate smile. _“We did,”_ he agreed. _“Because the last thing Sensei never counted on was the first time I met a Nighlok.”_

****

It made a horrible sort of sense now. 

All the times Antonio and Jayden had begged to go meet other Rangers, all of the visits to towns a team had been spotted in that they just *had* to see. Wanting to learn fighting techniques from the Ninja Schools, to ‘broaden their repertoire’. Antonio had passed it off as wanting to meet new members of the family, and Jayden had given a half-hearted smile and a shrug, like he’d just been caught up in Antonio’s enthusiasm and was being dragged along. 

But it was all a lie. 

Instead of explaining what they were doing, why it was so important that they meet all these people and learn everything they could, they’d played it off as a joke. As more of Antonio’s fanboy enthusiasm. 

They could have asked for _help_. He would have moved heaven and earth, called on every single resource he had, if he’d known what they were really after. All of them would. 

_“I know what I’m doing.”_

_No_ , Tommy thought bitterly. _If you knew what you were doing, you would never have done it on your own._

****

_“I grew up with a family that told me stories about Rita’s evil Green Ranger and Katastrophe. About all the times someone was turned evil against their will and was saved. All of that was running through my mind when I saw him. Because to all of you, he was the evil White Ranger. But when I looked at Trent … I sensed a Nighlok.“_

****

He felt conflicted. 

On the one hand, if there was a lesson he’d wanted Jayden and Antonio - or any of the kids, really - to take from that, it would be that sometimes there’s more to the story than what you see. Sometimes your enemy is really a victim, just like you. Without that open-mindedness, they’d just end up with more senseless battles. 

On the other hand, watching Jayden take down Trent on his own was terrifying. 

_“What do you mean, you *lost* my son Justin?!”_

But then again … 

Maybe Jayden wasn’t quite as much like Tommy as he’d thought. 

It made Jason smile a little. Maybe there was some of himself in the kid after all. 

****

He gave another soft smile. _“I know I scared everyone. And I know that I never gave you a complete answer before now. But the truth is, I saw that Trent was becoming a Nighlok and made the decision to save him. Because_ Appa _and_ Imo __ _told me that it was possible.“_

****

Of course it was Jason he’d listened to. 

Not her, who had warned him how far gone Tommy was and how lucky they were to be alive. Kimberly felt a little guilty for it, but cautioning him from being too forgiving was important, too. Tommy had come too close to taking them down too many times. 

But no. Her big-hearted, determined son had to take after Jason’s savior complex and decide he should try to save the person who’d just tried to kill his sister. And then he had to adopt Tommy’s guilt complex and solve everything wrong with Trent by himself. 

_Because of *course* he did_ , she grumbled to herself. 

****

_“I don’t know if I really believed I could do it, but I knew that at the very least I could limit the damage he would do. I got lucky,”_ he admitted. _“There was enough of Trent left to keep himself from hurting me. And we did it. We were able to stop the transformation and make him fully human again.”_ His smile was brilliant. 

_“Sensei never planned for Antonio, or that Octo would help him become a Ranger. And he never considered that a Nighlok can become human again._

****

It was a surprisingly optimistic outlook. 

‘What if we don’t need a sacrifice?’ ‘What if OctoZord can help create another Ranger?’ ‘What if Nighlok can become human again?’ 

Hard to imagine Jayden thinking that way, even seven years ago. Back when he was still so quiet, when he’d run away from home rather than ask someone to make sure that Tommy was okay. When he’d blurt out a word most of them had never heard before and disappeared. 

_“I sense a Nighlok!”_

_“You sense a Nigh-what? Jayden! Get back here!”_

_What if Jayden had never met Trini, and never grew up with the family?_ Justin wondered idly. 

He shook his head a moment later. It wasn’t a thought he wanted to pursue. 

****

_“Our plan wasn’t to destroy Xandred. It was to heal him.”_

****

Amazing. 

Ashley shook her head, still trying to process it all. Just how far had Jayden come, going from a boy believing he only existed as a sacrifice to the enemy, to being someone willing to save that same enemy? To go from the inevitable to considering his options? To looking for hope when he’d been told there was none? 

_“Every single member of this family has been willing to lay down their life for the safety of this planet. That’s what it means to be a Power Ranger. The difference is that I went into this knowing exactly what I was doing.”_

She’d had him all wrong. 

****

_“But he wasn’t like the others. I don’t know if the Netherworld had something to do with it, or regret or something else, but Master Xandred is gone. With nothing left to heal, we … vaporized him, basically.”_ Jayden sounded sheepish. 

_“Not exactly the result we intended, but I can live with it,”_ Antonio’s voice declared cheerfully. 

****

Zack let out a breath, feeling relief wash over him. Xandred would have been saved if he deserved redemption, he figured. If Rita Repulsa can change sides, there must have been nothing good left in him. 

It was probably not very Ranger-y of him to be glad but, well. _We can’t all be Jason_ , he decided. 

No Xandred meant no more sacrifices. It meant Jayden was safe, relatively speaking. It was a heady feeling. 

_Imagine that. Teenagers doing crazy things, and coming out okay._

It was a good kind of weird. He wanted to feel it more often. 

****

Jayden shot an exasperated look behind the camera, but he was fighting a smile. It faded after a moment. _“But taking out Xandred doesn’t mean this is over._

_“Nighlok are always going to exist. There will always be a need for the Samurai Rangers, to push them back into the Netherworld and protect the world from evil. Taking out their leader won’t change that.”_

He took a breath. _“So. Antonio and I are going back to Panorama Island. Permanently.”_

****

He’d like to say he hadn’t seen it coming. But Jayden was too like him for his own good. 

Tommy frowned. Jayden was too much like him for his own good. 

_There has to be something we can do about that._

S.P.D. could provide resources, couldn’t they? An ongoing threat to the planet … there had to be something they could contribute. Money, surveillance equipment, medical services, connections, something. 

For the sake of supporting an active Power Ranger team, of course. 

****

_“Well, semi-permanently,”_ Antonio piped up in the background. _“We’ll be back for birthdays and holidays. And just to be annoying. Oh! And special projects!”_ A hand appeared in front of the screen, finger wagging. _“Don’t do anymore tests without me, got it? I’ve learned a lot, so I can help!”_

A faint smile flickered over Jayden’s face again. “ _We’ll be back,”_ he agreed. _“We’re moving out, not leaving. So this is just … goodbye for now.“_

****

‘Goodbye for now’. 

_They’re twenty-one_ , Adam reminded himself. _They haven’t lived at home for three years._

But something about this felt … final. Uncomfortably final. 

_Maybe we can keep them on staff, have them report in every so often to keep S.P.D. updated. It can’t hurt, right?_

****

The camera tilted sideways briefly before adjusting to show Antonio and Jayden side-by-side, Antonio’s arm thrown around Jayden’s shoulder and their cheeks pressed together. _“Don’t worry, I’ll keep Jayden from being stupid again,”_ Antonio promised. He was smiling, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

****

Aisha frowned. There was a story there, and she wanted to hear it. Antonio and Jayden were rarely out of sync, and it was never good when they were. 

She’d have to keep tabs on them for awhile longer. She was one of their doctors, after all. 

Just to be on the safe side. 

****

Jayden’s eyes shifted toward him, but he dipped his head in a nod. _“And I’ll keep Antonio from overworking himself. Again.”_ The corner of his mouth quirked. 

****

Rocky snorted. “Good luck with that,” he informed his son-in-law. Antonio had been overworking himself since he was seven. 

But they’d take care of each other. They were good at that. 

He smiled a little, feeling wistful and strangely old all of a sudden. 

Weekly calls weren’t too much to ask, were they? 

****

_“Mocoso.”_

_“Nado salanghae, Yeon-in.”_

****

Kimberly laughed a little, wiping at her eyes. For once, she could mostly follow what they were saying; she blamed Carlos. 

She was going to miss seeing them every day. 

They’d have to set up family dinners or something. Once a month, minimum. Just to catch up. 

****

They stared at each other for a moment too long. 

****

“Gross,” Conner complained. His eyes no longer looked wet. “Do they have to flirt in front of us?” 

“You are such a hypocrite,” Ethan informed him. 

Kira rolled her eyes. “You used to flirt with Ethan so bad I had to give you the shovel speech.” 

Trent sat up at that, looking amused. “You gave Conner the shovel speech over Ethan?” 

“He kept hitting on him in the middle of fights,” she pointed out. 

“I thought we were pretending not to notice because Ethan didn’t notice.” 

“I noticed!” Ethan protested. “I thought it was just Conner being weird. I mean, he hit on *you* when we first met.” 

“Wow, thanks,” Conner said sarcastically, flopping back on the couch as he eyed the TV screen thoughtfully. “Glad to know you all think I’m some kind of playboy.” 

Kira patted his arm. “Relax. We all know you’re practically married now.” 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who said anything about *marriage*?!” 

****

Finally, Jayden shook his head, turning to smile at the camera. _“We love you all.”_

_“We’ll see you soon!”_ Antonio assured them brightly. 

****

Jason leaned back in his chair, thoughtful. _Sooner than you think_ , he thought, somewhat amused. _There’s still a lot for us to talk about._

He’d have to catch up with them before they sneak out of the infirmary tonight. 

****

The screen went dark.

**Author's Note:**

>  _Querido_ \- dear, sweetheart, lover, ect. (Spanish)  
>  _Imo_ \- Aunt (Korean)  
>  _Kipenzi_ \- favorite, person who enjoys special regard or favour (Swahili)  
>  _Tio_ \- Uncle (Spanish)  
>  _Appa_ \- Dad (Korean)  
>  _Mocoso_ \- Brat (Spanish)  
>  _Nado salanghae, Yeon-in_ \- I love you too, lover, sweetheart, ect. (Korean)


End file.
